Combined seat and easel supporting structure



R. E. COTE Dec, 22, 1959 COMBINED SEAT AND EASEL SUPPORTING STRUCTURE Filed Aug. 22, 1957 Jin INVENTOR. RAYMOND E. COTE MFJ ATTORNEY COMBINED SEAT AND EASEL SUPPORTING STRUCTURE Raymond E. Cote, Menomonee, Wis.

Application August 22, 1957, Serial No. 672,654

1 filaim. (Cl. 155-2) This invention relates to a device for holding easels and more particularly to a combined seat and easel holding structure.

Heretofore, artists, draftsmen, students and others have not had available a combined seat and easel holding structure which is readily adaptable to support various sizes of easels in a wide range of positions and when either collapsed or in assembled position can be readily stacked with other like units for storing. Schools cramped for space need combined seat and easel holding structures which can be readily moved from one position to another thereby utilizing the school rooms for a variety of uses. These units must be light in weight but stable in structure to support all sizes of students.

In accordance with the invention claimed a new and improved combined seat and easel holding structure is provided comprising in combination a seat having a substantially horizontally arranged surface and an easel supporting member mounted on one end of the seat transversely to the seat surface. The easel supporting member is slidably mounted on the seat for placement in a plurality of positions above the surface of the seat. Means are detachably mounted on the surface of the seat in a plurality of positions spaced from the easel supporting member for supporting or positioning one end of an easel on the surface of the seat while the easel supporting member supports the other end of the easel at a predetermined distance above the surface of the seat.

It is, therefore, one object of the present invention to provide a new and improved combined seat and easel supporting structure.

Another object of this invention is to provide a new and improved seat and easel supporting structure which supports an easel in a wide range of positions.

A further object of this invention is to provide a new and improved collapsible combined seat and easel supporting structure in which two adjustments are provided for readily varying the angular position of the surface of the easel relative to the surface of the seat.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a new and improved combined seat and easel supporting structure which is neat and attractive in appearance, relatively inexpensive to manufacture and adapted for use for the purpose intended in a variety of room settings.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following description when read in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a combined seat and easel supporting structure employing the invention and showing an easel in a given position;

Fig. 2 is a right end view of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a side view of the structure shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3 with the rail adjustment means and easel shown in dot-dash lines in various other positions;

Fig. 5 is a partial side view of the structure shown *2 ate 2,918,107 Patented Dec. 22, 1959 in Fig. 1 with the easel supporting member and rail adjustment means in another position and the rail adjustment means and easel shown in dot-dash lines in other positions; and

Fig. 6 is a partial side view of the structure shown in Fig. 1 showing the rail adjustment means and easel supporting member in still another position.

Referring more particularly to the drawing by characters of reference Fig. 1 illustrates a combined seat and easel holding structure 10 comprising a seat 11 and an easel holding or supporting structure 12. Seat 11 comprises a substantially horizontally arranged surface 13 supported by a pair of leg members 14 and 15. As shown in Fig. 2 leg members 14 and 15 each comprise a generally Ushaped member having its bight-like structure secured to the under side of surface 13 by three suitable fastening means 16. Surface 13 has provided therein a plurality of apertures or protrusions 17 which may be arranged, if so desired, in pairs spaced at varying distances from one end 18 of seat 11.

The easel holding or supporting structure 12 comprises a rod member 19 having mounted at one end thereof a cross-like member or cross arm 20. Cross arm 29 is shown at the end of rod 19 but it is intended that this disclosure covers the placement of cross arm 2% at any place near the end of rod 19 transversely to the rods longitudinal axis. In order to slidably secure rod 19 to seat 11 a flange structure 21 is provided on surface 13 at end 18 of seat 11 with an aperture extending through surface 13 and axially aligned with the aperture extending through flange structure 21. By means of the turn screw 22 mounted on flange structure 21 the rod may be held or clamped in any one of a plurality of positions transversely to seat 11 with the cross arm 21 extending in a plurality of positions above surface 13 depending on the setting of rod 19.

In order to hold an easel against the cross arm 2'9 of the easel supporting structure 12 an easel supporting or rail means 23 is provided which has a pair of (not shown) which fit into aperture 17 in surface 13. As shown in the drawing rail means 23 extends transversely across the longitudinal axis of seat 11 and is detachably mounted so that it may be placed in a plurality of positions depending on the number of pairs of apertures 17 extending from end 18 of seat '11 toward the center of structure 10.

Figs. 1, 2, and 3 illustrate rail means 23 in its position closest to end 18 of seat 11 and the cross arm 20 of rod 19 arranged at about its highest position above surface 13. In this position structure 10 holds or supports easel 24 upright with its surface making a relatively small acute angle with the vertical axis of rod 19. As noted rail means 23 supports one end of easel 24 and cross arms 20 of rod 19 supports the other end of easel 24 thereby causing the surface of the easel to assume a given angular position with the surface of the seat. In Fig. 4 the dot-dash positions of rail means 23 and easel 24 show how the surface of easel 24- may be varied by merely moving the rail means 23 to a position farther away from flange 21. Thus, an artist may readily vary the surface of his easel by merely moving rail means 23 without removing his easel from structure 10 or Without getting up or off of seat 11.

Fig. 5 illustrates the various easel settings which may be obtained by varying both the settings of rail means 23 and cross arm 20 of rod 19. These new positions of easel 24 also accomplished without removing the easel or canvas from structure 10 and without requiring the user to move.

Fig. 6 illustrates a further position of easel 24 when the cross arm 20 is placed in its position closest to surface 13 and rail means 23 is positioned farthest from collapsing the structure by lowering rod 19 to the posi-' tion shown in Fig. 6 and removing the rail means 23 from the structure. If so desired the seats and the supporting structures may be disconnected from each other and the seats stacked one upon the other.

As noted from the drawing it is readily possible to remove the easel supporting structure 12 from seat 11 and replace it with any other type of structure such as the combined rod and easel structure shown in my design patent No. 175,016 issued June 28, 1955 and entitled Combined Seat and Easel.

Although but one embodiment of the present invention has been illustrated and described it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention or from the scope of the appended claim.

It is claimed and desired to secure by Letters Patent:

A combined seat and easel holding structure comprising in combination a seat having a substantially horizontally arranged surface, said surface being provided 4 l with an aperture arranged to extend through one end of said seat, a flange mounted on said seat and over said aperture for slidably receiving and clamping a rod, a rod arranged to extend through said flange and said aperture transversely to said surface and being provided with a cross arm extending transversely to said rod above said surface, said surface being provided with a plurality of pairs of apertures arranged to extend from said flange toward the other end of said surface, and rail means detachably mounted within any one of said pairs of apertures and arranged to extend substantially across said seat and transversely to the longitudinal axis of said seat, said cross arm and said rail means supporting opposite ends of an easel thereby causing the surface of the easel to assume a given angular position with said surface of said seat.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS D. 145,659 Covington Oct. 1, 1946 D. 175,016 Cote June 28, 1955 1,652,774 Fraser et a1. Dec. 13, 1927 1,733,386 Odlin et al. Oct. 29, 1929 2,638,702 Holbrook May 19, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 14,324 Great Britain June 16, 1911 705,630 Great Britain Mar. 17, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 2,918,107

December 22 195R Raymond E. Cote It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction and that the said Letters Patent should read as corrected below.

Column 2, line 68, before 'als0" insert are-; column 3, line 2 strike out "are also accomplished without removing the easel or" and insert instead the surface of the easel makes the greatest angle with- (SEAL) Attest:

KARL H, AXLINE Attesting Officer ROBERT C. WATSON Commissioner of Patents 

